Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electronic apparatus for connection to a hearing apparatus component having an electronic component, a cable which is connected to the electronic component, a first sleeve which is arranged around a part of the electronic component and a part of the cable and mechanically connects the two, and a second sleeve, which surrounds another part of the electronic component. In this case, the expression hearing apparatus refers to any acoustic appliance which can be worn in or on the ear or on the head, in particular a hearing aid, a headset, earphones and the like.
Hearing aids are portable hearing apparatuses which are used for the deaf. In order to comply with the numerous individual requirements, different forms of hearing aids are provided, such as behind-the-ear hearing aids, a hearing aid with an external receiver (RIC: receiver in the canal) and in-the-ear hearing aids, for example also concha hearing aids or canal hearing aids. The hearing aids mentioned by way of example are worn on the outer ear or in the hearing canal. Furthermore, however, bone-conduction hearing aids are also commercially available, as well as hearing aids which can be implanted and vibrotactile hearing aids. In this case, the damaged hearing is stimulated either mechanically or electrically.
In principle, the major components of hearing aids are an input transducer, an amplifier and an output transducer. The input transducer is generally a sound receiver, for example a microphone, and/or an electromagnetic receiver, for example an induction coil. The output transducer is generally in the form of an electroacoustic transducer, for example a miniature loudspeaker, or an electromechanical transducer, for example a bone-conduction receiver. The amplifier is normally integrated in a signal processing unit. This basic design is illustrated in FIG. 1, using the example of a behind-the-ear hearing aid. One or more microphones 2 for receiving the sound from the surrounding area is or are installed in a hearing aid housing 1 to be worn behind the ear. A signal processing unit 3, which is likewise integrated in the hearing aid housing 1, processes the microphone signals, and amplifies them. The output signal from the signal processing unit 3 is transmitted to a loudspeaker or receiver 4, which emits an acoustic signal. The sound may be transmitted to the ear drum of the person wearing the appliance via a flexible sound tube, which is fixed to an otoplasty in the auditory canal. Power is supplied to the hearing aid and in particular to the signal processing unit 3 by a battery 5 which is likewise integrated in the hearing aid housing 1.
Hearing aids may be equipped with an external electronic component, arranged outside the housing. The need to connect external electronic components, such as loudspeakers, to a behind-the-ear hearing aid arises because of feedback or the space required. In the past, hearing aids with external receivers have been known, in which the electrical connecting lines for the in-the-ear loudspeaker 10 are passed to the hearing aid through a flexible molded tube 11, as shown in FIG. 2. This flexible molded tube 11 is firmly connected to a receiver inner housing 13 by a flexible tube end piece 16 with a first sleeve 12, with the receiver 10 being adhesively bonded in or being encapsulated.
The in-the-ear receiver 10 which is connected to the hearing aid must be configured by a further unit to the geometry of the ear canal, and to the acoustic requirements of the user. At the present time, flexible earpieces (domes) and individually matched earpieces (ear molds) are used for this purpose, although these are not illustrated in FIG. 2. The connection piece 14 (spout) between the receiver 10 or the receiver inner housing 13 and the earpiece must be as small as possible because of the space problems within the auditory canal, in order to allow the in-the-ear system to be used for as many customers as possible. Furthermore, one essential requirement is that the connection piece 14 is connected well to the plastic housing 13 in order to ensure that it does not break off when removed from the auditory canal, thus remaining stuck in the canal.
By way of example, published, non-prosecuted German patent application DE 10 2007 037 024 A1, corresponding to U.S. patent publication No. 2009/0041261 A1, discloses a hearing device for hearing aids having an external receiver. This has an earpiece with a hole into which the receiver is inserted. An elastic intermediate piece in this case holds the majority of the longitudinal extent of the receiver. For this purpose, the intermediate piece is pressed into the hole in the earpiece with a friction fit. The receiver that has been mounted in this way can thus be pushed out of the earpiece—for example for replacement—together with the intermediate piece, with the aid of a tool.
Published U.S. patent application No. 2008/0298618 A1 discloses an earpiece for a hearing apparatus having a securing ring. In order to hold earwax protection more securely in an earpiece of a hearing apparatus which can be worn in the ear, the earpiece is manufactured from an elastic material. It is produced together with a sound outlet opening and with earwax protection with an annular support. A safety ring in this case surrounds the sound outlet opening, and is permanently integrated in the earpiece. The sound outlet opening is thus stiffened, as a result of which the earwax protection cannot slide out it.
Because of the position of the in-the-ear receiver unit in the auditory canal, this unit is subject to loads resulting from contamination (earwax, sweat, etc). It is therefore necessary to fit contamination protection, in order to increase the life of the receiver unit.
The habits and well-being of hearing-aid wearers must always be taken into account for the improvement of hearing aids. It is therefore necessary to choose the materials which come into contact with the skin so as to achieve the best possible wearing comfort, while making it possible to cope with the mechanical loads.
Particular attention must be paid to the following features relating to the specific configuration of the external receiver, according to the example shown in FIG. 2. In order to connect the external receiver unit to the flexible molded tube 11 which is used as a guide for electrical connecting lines, as well as to the connecting piece 14 to the earpiece, three interfaces are generally required:
First, a connection 17 of the flexible molded tube 11 to a plastic holder 12, that is to say a first sleeve 12: the connection 17 is generally provided by inset-molding of the flexible tube 11 with a thermoplastic (holder).
Second, there is provided a connection 18 of the plastic holder 12 to a housing 13 of the receiver 10. This connection 18 is generally provided by an adhesive joint. One problem in this case is that a plastic surface must be adhesively bonded to a metal surface, if the receiver inner housing 13 is composed of metal. Because of the widely differing surface energies of these two materials, adhesive bonding is very difficult and in some cases is not reliable.
Third, a connection 19 between the receiver housing 13 and the connection piece 14 (spout) is provided. This connection 19 is generally formed by spot-welding a metal spout directly on the receiver or the receiver inner housing 13. This weld is not continuous and therefore exhibits a number of weak points.
One fundamental problem in this implementation of the external receiver unit with a plurality of interfaces is that the interface is subject to a risk of failure and a portion of the component can thus possibly remain stuck in the auditory canal when the receiver is removed. Since, furthermore, the receiver inner housing of the receiver is composed of metal and comes into direct contact with the skin, the receiver must be gold-plated in order to cope with biocompatibility and allergy problems. Furthermore, hearing-aid wearers have also found that direct contact between metals and the auditory canal is unpleasant. A further disadvantage is that the contamination protection 15 is generally a separate component. It generally contains a plastic membrane, or a plastic grid.